Joint Region Marianas recognizes 2025 Sister School-Sister Village Award winners
TUMON, Guam (Sept. 20, 2026) — Joint Region Marianas recognized the winners of the 2025 Sister School-Sister Village Award during a ceremony at the USO Tumon Bay, Sept. 18.
The Sister School-Sister Village program pairs military commands across Guam with local villages, schools and community organizations, encouraging service members and their families to build lasting relationships with the communities they call home.
This year’s nominees contributed tens of thousands of volunteer hours supporting classrooms, environmental cleanup efforts, youth mentorship, and other community initiatives across the island.
Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, commander, JRM, presented awards to the commands in the small, medium and large categories, respectively.
“I recently saw firsthand at Southern High School what happens when our service members answer a community’s call for help” said Mietus. “A campus is renewed, students see that they matter, and a partnership becomes real. That is what we recognize today. These commands did not simply log volunteer hours. They gave their time, talent and energy to strengthen the villages, schools and organizations that make Guam home. Their service reflects the very best of our joint force and our commitment to being trusted partners in this community.”
The 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, received the Large Category award for a community-relations program involving more than 950 Airmen, Sailors and civilian personnel. Through partnerships with 19 villages, 11 schools and 14 nonprofit organizations, the wing supported initiatives ranging from the Liberation Day flyover, base tours for island youth and international cadets, and sustained support to programs such as Operation Christmas Drop and the Marine Turtle Patrol.
U.S. Naval Base Guam earned the Medium Category award after mobilizing 445 Sailors and civilians to support 11 villages and six schools. Volunteers assisted with Guam’s Homeless Point-in-Time Count, planted more than 1,000 trees along the Ugum River watershed and supported the annual Back to Sumay Day remembrance, which welcomes former Sumay residents and their descendants back to the area their families once called home.
Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz received the Small Category award. The installation established a formal community-relations program guided by a dedicated base order, with 53 percent of the command contributing nearly 1,800 volunteer hours during the year. Its partnerships included Finegayan Elementary School, the Dededo Mayor’s Office and a Toys for Tots campaign that supported children on Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
The winning commands’ efforts reflect the broader purpose of the program by building lasting relationships between the military and communities across Guam.
“The work recognized today reflects the commitment of our service members who to give back and it encourages them to continue building connections throughout Guam,” said Shaina O’Neal, Sister School-Sister Village program coordinator. “We are one island, and this program shows what can be accomplished through a One Guam mindset. Every act of kindness strengthens our community as a whole.”
Established in 1974, the Sister School-Sister Village program provided a lasting framework for military units to support Guam beyond their primary missions. The program expanded in 1987 to include adopt-a-school partnerships, building a tradition of service that continues today.
-30-
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
